The phone and e-mail are the bookers' distribution channel of choice when it comes to apartments, with 40% of European bookers using the former. However it seems that operators' reluctance to make inventory available on line is an opportunity missed; 36% of bookers globally prefer to book serviced apartments online, rising to over half in Central and South America.

To address this issue, by the end of 2008 The Apartment Service will be providing customers with the ability to search for an apartment and - for the first time - check real-time availability before booking via the web. At the same time an inventory management function will be created for high volume apartment owners. This automatically pulls information from existing reservation systems and updates availability. Low volume operators can manage inventory manually through The Apartment Service's extranet.

The integration of GDS and web-based content is an ongoing project for The Apartment Service, involving the implementation of connections with all the major GDS companies.